The double-edged sword

About this book

The Double-Edged Sword: How Character Makes and Ruins Presidents, from Washington to Clinton rebuts the claim put forward by Clinton and his supporters that a president's private life can be separated from his performance in office. By examining the morality of some of our most prominent and influential executive chiefs - from the birth of the Republic and the launch of the New Deal to Watergate and the Clinton presidency - Robert Shogan illustrates how the so-called character issue and the intertwined issue of values are linked to the political process and governance. Based on extensive research as well as interviews with politicians and journalists, this book looks at how the strengths and weaknesses of character help shape presidential performance for good and for ill.